Knitting machine



April. 20 19.26.

- J. C. KANE KNITTING MACHINE Filed April 26, 1923 W I TNESSES:

, INVENTOR:

(7655a Olfimw,

TORNEYS.

Patented Apr. 20, 1926..

UNITED STATES 1,582,013 PATENT Fr es.

JESSE KANE, OF .EASTON, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO CHIPMAN KNITTING MILLS, OF EASTON, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

KNITTING MACHINE.

Application filed April 26, 1923. Serial No. 634,656.

To all 10. mmit may concern.

lie it known that l, JIISf-W. G. Karts, a citizen otthe United States, residing at l laston, in the county of Northampton and State t Pennsylvania, and useful Improvements in Knitting Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference beinghad to the acompanying drawings.

My invention relates generally to knitting machines, and is more specifically directed to improvements, upon such machines for iiicilitating feeding of yarn to then;

As is well known in connection with the operation of knitting machines, the feeding of yarns knotteth burred, or even these constituted. of curly or kinky fibers, such for ere ample as wool or worstedyarm is always at tended by the possibility of production of tuck stitches or facture as a result of being detained or caught in the needle hooks, or in the notches or throats ofthe web holders ordinarily provided to cooperate with them. The :faliiric produced on the one hand is therefore imperfect and at best can be disposed of only at a loss, anch on the other hand, pressed oft the needles entailing loss of considerable time necessitated for rethreading of the machines and initiating starting of the threads on the needles.

The primary object of my invention is to overcome the difficulties referred to so that r the possibility of their occurrence is reduced to a minimum. 7

How this dcsideratum may be attained.

together with other objects and attendant advantages. will be readily understood from the detailed description which follows ot a typical emboiiliment of my invention, while the appended claims clearly define the scope of the invention in so tar as. it comes within my present knowledge.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. I is an illustration in cross-sectional elevation of the knitting head of a circular or rotary stocla'ing machine convenient. for the purposes 0t my invention.

Fig. II is a partial plan section through the web holder ring taken as indicated by the arrows II-II in Fig. I.

Fig. III is an illustration, more or less diagramn'iatically showing a partial linear developmentof the cams by which the knitting needles are actuated; and

Figs. IV and V are detail views illustratw have invented certain new needles 3.

ing two dilierent relative positions assumed by the needles and web holders in accordance with my invention. 3

In these illustrations, the needle cylinder indicated at 1 is shown as provided with the usual longitudinally extending, peripheral grooves 52 for vertical guidance of the This needle cylinder 1, it will be observed, is mounted upon a bevel gear l supported. in a recess ot' a bed plate '6 and designed to be either rotated or oscillated by any approved means, (not shown), such as ordinarily provided in standard types of knitting machines for this purpose.

The machine is further equipped with a needle latchguard ring 7 which overhangs the top of the needle cylinder 1., s id ring being pivoted at 8, to an upstanding post 9 bolted or otherwise secured to the bed plate 6 so that it may be readily withdrawn when access must be had to the needles V The latch guard ring 7 carries the usual series of interchangeable pivoted yarn feeds 10 adapted to be individually actuated. from an appropriate pattern control, through the in strumentality of interposed thrust bars such as indicated at 11.

As best seenin Figure III of the drawings the cams which actuate the needles include the common type of upper and lower center cams 12, 13 these being flanked at opposite sides by the stitch cams 14:, 1% each oi": which, in accordance with my invention, are characterized by provision of sharply defined recesses 15 in their relatively remote inclined edges 16. directly adjacent the bottom corners 17. By virtue of this provision, the needles 3 immediately after drawing loops or .titches. are suddenly released from the influence of the cams 14 for a purpose which will be fully explained inv detail later herein.

Stitch formation is effected with the assistance of web holders 20. which are retained and guided for horizontal reciprocation relative to the needles 3. in radial slots or groovesof an annulus or ring 21 secured about the topof the needle cylinder 1. As will be apparent from Figs. IV and V of the drawings, these web holders are of standard design in that they comprise the usual web engaging notches or throats 22 with overhanging nibs 23. and at their opposite ends, upstanding butt-s 2st. A cap ring 25 superposed upon the ring 21, carries the cams whereby the web holders 20 are actuated. These cams, it will be noted from Fig. 11, include a center retracting cam 26 and projecting cams 27, 27, one disposed at each side of said center cam, the group eo-operating to cause a deviation at the region of stitch formation from the normal course de termined by the concentric groove 28 which occupies the greater portion of the ring 25. Attention is'particularly directed to the fact that the receding edges 29 of the center cam ..6 are interrupted at the ends of the latter, by protuberances or projections 30, 80 and the edges of the flanking earns 27 recessed as at 31, 31 directly opposite said protuberances or projections. The institution of the special features just noted results in additional, though lesser retractions from the normal course of the web holders 20, these retract-ions occurring immediately after stitch formation and concurrently with the release of theneedles 3 as hereinbet'ore noted. The operation of the machine herein shown is, in geuerah after a manner well known to those skilled in the knitting arts and need not therefore be recited in detail herein, but it is thought ei cdient to point out inthis connection, that my invention is operative both in rotary and oscillatoiy knitting. l Vith reference to Fig. III-t the drawings, it will be noted that the yarn indicated by the letter Y is directed at a declination from the yarn feed toward the point oi stitch formation at P approximating the downward slope of the needles 3 determined by that cam 14: which is active. The drawing of the loops is consequent upon the passing of the needle butts beneath the lower corner 1? of the cam l t, the web holders being at this time projected along the line lV-1V in Fig. 11 and the relation existing between the needles 3 and the web holders 2-0 that suggested in Fig. IV, with the loops under maximum tension. However, immediately after the needle butts pass the lower corner 17 of the cam 14-. they are suddenly released with the suit that the pull on the previously termed loop is relaxed, this, as before hinteth ccurring concurrently wit u the retraction of the corresponding web holder 20 by the protuberance or projection ot the web holder retracting cam 26 along the line VV in Fig. II. In being released, as explained, the needles 3 rise slightly under relaxation of the loops when the relation with the web holders 90 is that suggested in Fig. V, with the needle books, or rather the bights of the ments therein.

needle hooks substantially in registry with the notches or throats 22 01 said web holders. It is important to note at this juncture, that the second or additional retraction of the web holders 20 for the special purpose of my invention, is somewhat less than that of the usual or normal retraction necessary in stitch formation so that a slight overlap is caused to exist between their overhang nibs and the hooks ot the needles 3, as clearly shown in Fig. V, to avoid release of w b; but in this way, I gain the advantage of a larger space through which the yarn Y may readily reeve with easement tor the passage of knots, burrs or other enlargeliioreover, the relaxation in the pull upon the yarn Y as now well understood from what has already been said, permits eompensative tensional adjustment between the loop being termed and its immediate predecessor, which will obviously further assist in the easement of yarn teed ing and thereby in turn reduce the possibility of rupture due to knots or burrs in the yarn to an absolute minimum.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim:

1. In a knitting machine, the combination of needles, web holders co-operating with the needles, and means whereby the needles are released and the web holders simu taneously retracted immediately utter formation of a fabric loo to facilitate draw- 1g of a loop by the next succeeding needle.

2. In a knitting machine, the combination of needles, web holders co-operating with the needles, a center-retracting cam having protuberances atthe ends thereof, and flanking cams having recesses opposed to said protuberances whereby the needles are released and the web holders simultaneously retracted immediately after formation of a fabric loop. to-tacilitate drawing of the succeeding loop.

3. In a. knitting machine, the combination of needles, web holders co-operating with the needles, and center-retracting with flankprojecting cams whereby the needles are re leased and the web holders sinniltaneously retracted innnediately after formation of a fabric loop to facilitate drawing of a loop by the nest succeeding needle.

In testimony whereof, I llilVO'llGl'ClllltO signed my name at lE-aston, Pennsylvania this 19th day of April 1923.

J uses 0. KANE. 

